By Alana Santos, Currier Times

MILTON, Mass. - Shane Tracy is not your typical college student. For starters, he's a 20-year-old freshman. A native of Bow, N.H., Tracy is studying management at Curry, plays on the hockey team, and holds down an on-campus job through the intramurals program.

And unlike many other college students, he has a detailed plan for this future. It involves wearing fatigues.

"I've wanted to join the Army since I was about 15," says Tracy, who currently serves in the ROTC program at Curry, which is run through Boston University. "I don't know why I wanted to join, to be honest. I feel like it is where I belong and what I'm supposed to do. I guess that I just felt that it is what I would be best at because of my athletic and team-based background."

Tracy, who played junior hockey in New Hampshire before attending Curry, played in 17 games for the Colonels this past year. A midseason broken wrist limited his playing time, but the forward finished with one goal and five assists.

Although Tracy cannot pinpoint his motivation to join the Army, military service certainly runs in his family. Both of Tracy's grandfathers served in the armed forces, and two of his uncles flew helicopters and planes in the military. His father, Mike, is a pilot for Southwest Airlines.

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